Legend
The legend of the Prague Crusaders, from which the charisma and spirituality of our order
still draw today, can be demonstrated on the trio of scenes from the chapter hall of the Prague convent.
Crusaders in the Holy Land
During the time of the crusades to the Holy Land, the need arose to care for wounded knights, and later also for sick pilgrims. This led to the creation of the hospitaller activity of military – knightly orders. Over time, this activity also spread to the crusader homelands in Europe. This model of Christian love and knightly solidarity also formed the basis for the establishment of the hospitaller order of the Crusaders with the Red Star in Prague in 1237. At the height of its prosperity, during the reign of Charles IV, the Crusaders administered around sixty hospitals, homes, and parish churches in Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Poland, and also in Hungary. Today, the ever-growing share of social and charitable projects in the order’s activities is a return to our very roots – hospitallerism.
Finding of the Holy Cross
We belong to one of the key scenes from the set of Crusader spirituality – the finding of the Holy Cross by St. Helena. As the name of the order itself suggests, a special relationship to the crucifixion of the Lord, the instruments of His passion, and the Holy Cross is inherent in the spirituality of the order. The reverence for the holy wounds is not outdated, but rather it can be a tool for discernment. When the devil appeared to St. Martin in the form of Christ, the saint was not deceived and asked, "Where are your wounds?" Let us remember that many will come and claim to be Christ. Let us not be deceived by such representations of Christ and the church that appear flawless – they may be deceptions from Satan’s workshop. The authentic church bears wounds. The only place in the gospel where Jesus is explicitly called God is at the touch of Thomas to his wounds.
Acceptance of the Crusaders by St. Agnes
The theme of the last scene is the introduction of the Crusaders to Prague by St. Agnes of Bohemia. The ideological starting point is a legend defending the historical title of the order as a knightly order. Its content is the theory of the establishment of the hospitaller brotherhood and later the Crusader order from returning participants of one of the crusades. According to Baroque accounts, these returnees were treated to herring and dark beer on the day of their arrival in Prague. The Epiphany herring gatherings remain a cherished tradition within the order.